Match-safe



UNITED STATE S PATENT OFFICE.

I THOMAS S. HATHAWAY, OF DECATUR, ILLINOIS.

MATCH-SAFE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 58,253, dated September 25, 1866.

To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS S. HATHAWAY, of Decatur, Macon county, State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Match- Safe; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which-f- Figure 1 represents a vertical section of this invention, taken 'in the plane indicated by the line m a, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view ot' the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention relates to a match-safe the receiving-chamber of which is provided with an inclined bottom over which the matches roll or slide down toward a vertical slide. This slide is provided with a shoulder just wide enough to receive one match, and on being raised the match resting on said shoulder is also raised, and its end is brought in contact with a friction-spring which is fastened on the top ofthe matclrsate, and which is so situated that by its action the match carried up by the slide is brought in a vertical position, and at the same time the charged end or head of said match is clamped betweeirthe edge of the slide and the friction-spring, so that by pulling it out quick it will i gnitc, and

that one match after the other can thus be The width of the slide B is somewhat less i than the length of the matches in the chambeyond the edge of the slide B, as shown in Fig. 2 ofthe drawings. t f

When the slide is raised, the head of the4 match, resting upon the shoulder a, is brought in contact with a frictionspring or rasp-bar,

b, which is fastened down to the top of the' chamber A, so that its roughened end comesV close up to the edge of the slide. On striking the edge ofthe rasp-bar the match is raised to a vertical position, so that it can be conveniently taken hold of and pulled out. In pulling it out quick the friction of the rasp-bar causes the match to ignite, and no further frictionsurface is required.

The raspbar b is adjustable on the top of the chamber A, so that its friction-surface can be made to bear with more or less power 011 the head of the match.

The chamber A may also be provided with a sliding partition or cut-oft', c, whereby the quantity ot' matches pressing on the slide can be diminished and a correct operation ot' the safe is insured.

By this safe the matches are inclosed, so that nobody can get out more than one at a time, and the matches are made to go oft' by the very act of withdrawing them from the safe, so that no further friction-surface is re quired and the walls are saved from injury.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 1 The vertical slide B, with its shoulder or recess a,in combination with thercceiving-chamber A and friction-spring b, constructed and operating substantially as and for the purpose described.

The above specification of my invention signed by me this 16th day of February, 1866.

. THOS. S. HATE AWAY.

Witnesses M. M. LIVINGSTON, W. HAUFF. 

